Migrants crowd at Bandra: 11, including journalist, arrested

The large gathering eventually forced the Mumbai Police to resort to lathi-charge to disperse the migrants — most of them from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal — who were demanding the state help them return home.

Eleven people, including a journalist of a Marathi television news channel, were on Wednesday arrested for allegedly spreading rumours that the state was running a special train for migrant workers, which led to around 1,000 of them gathering at the Bandra railway station on Tuesday, defying the nationwide lockdown.

Police official take rest after dispersing hundreds of stranded migrant workers from outside the Bandra Railway Station in Mumbai, Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (PTI photo)

The large gathering eventually forced the Mumbai Police to resort to lathi-charge to disperse the migrants — most of them from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal — who were demanding the state help them return home. This was hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the coronavirus-enforced nationwide lockdown to May 3.

An FIR was registered on Tuesday against 700 people at Bandra police station, under which nine people were arrested, and another two FIRs were filed on Wednesday. Vijayalaxmi Hiremath, senior police inspector at Bandra police station, confirmed the arrests.

On Wednesday, an FIR was filed against Vinay Dubey, a resident of Navi Mumbai, who uploaded a video on social media, telling migrant workers from north India to gather at Kurla Terminus on April 18 to demand that they be sent back to their homes. Dubey, booked under sections 117, 153(a), 188, 269, 270, 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, was detained from Navi Mumbai late on Tuesday. Another FIR was against Rahul Kulkarni, a journalist with ABP Majha, for allegedly running a report stating that a special train will run for migrant workers, said Bandra police officers. Kulkarni was arrested in the afternoon. “He will be produced in court tomorrow,” said Hiremath.

ABP Majha, however, defended its journalist, saying its news reports were “entirely misconceived” and they were on the “basis of valid documents” .

The channel said there was no conceivable way the crowds that gathered at Bandra can be linked to their stories.

The channel, in a statement, said, “There are several reports purporting to draw a connection between the gathering at Mumbai’s Bandra West station and a news story run on ABP Majha. The reports are entirely misconceived and are being circulated with the sole intention of baselessly maligning ABP Majha. Our news story was broadcast in public interest and on the basis of valid documents and information. Subsequent to the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s announcement at 10 am of the continuation of the lockdown and announcements thereafter from the Ministry of Railways with regard to cancellation of trains and refunds till May 3, 2020, we ran multiple stories, starting from shortly after the Railway Ministry’s announcement starting from12:30 pm to 1.30 pm, on our channel clearly announcing that no trains will be running. There is no conceivable way in which the crowds that gathered at the Bandra West Station from around 3:45 pm can be linked to our stories. To insinuate that our running of the story and the updates thereafter amount to a criminal act is outrageous. We are shocked and dismayed that our reporter Mr. Rahul Kulkarni has been arrested in connection with the story. We will be taking necessary and immediate steps in law. We can say with full confidence that we have not deviated from practices of responsible journalism. Journalism and media are essential services. There is no denial of the Railway Ministry’s letter of 13.4.2020 recommending running of trains to return migrant labourers to their hometowns. We are a responsible and respectable channel running an essential service in providing information and news to society and community at large. We make every possible good faith endeavor to ensure the accuracy of our information and news from credible sources before broadcasting the same. Consequently, despite the morning news before the PM’s speech, shortly after the Railway Ministry announcement that no trains will run till 3rd May, 2020, we immediately started running the story on our channels as a responsible media institution. We would like to say that before journalists are arrested there should be due verification of all facts and circumstances.”

Later in the day, nine people —Mohammad Amruddin, 35; Saif Hussein Shaikh, 36; Alam Mohammad Salim Shaikh, 28; Shamsher Ali Amir Ali Malik, 36; Helal Hakimuddin Ali, 32; Mohammad Shahid Ibrahim Shaikh, 29; Mohammad Arshad Mohammad Anvar Shaikh, 26; Altabash Chhotu Shaikh,28 and Firoz Sailchul Shaikh, 20 — were arrested from Shastri Nagar in Bandra (West). All the accused were arrested as per the FIR lodged on Tuesday.

Kulkarni has been booked under sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) 505 (b) (with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the state or against the public tranquillity), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) 117 (abetting commission of offence by the public or by more than ten persons) of the IPC, along with section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act.

Bandra police officers also revealed that they have narrowed down a list of other suspects responsible for the gathering. The police are questioning at least seven people from Bandra (West).